Google announces search engine changes

Google Inc. announced upgrades to its search function yesterday, including the ability to use voice-activated searches, CNN reported.

Google is adding voice-activated searches to its Chrome browser, which will allow users to start a search by saying "OK, Google" out loud, followed by their search topic.

The search engine is also taking existing search data to integrate predictive content into a search answer. In other words, when someone searches a topic, Google has a good idea of the search that typically happens next. That data will allow the engine to sometimes predict what topics users will search and give them the information before they specifically ask it.

Google also unveiled a subscription music-streaming service, Bloomberg reported. The company is seeking to give consumers more reasons to use the Android operating system, already the most widely used software in smartphones.

In negative news for the company, Google faced angry questions from British lawmakers today who were investigating its tax affairs and whether it had misled Parliament in testimony last year, Reuters reported.